The Golden State Warriors have had a relatively quiet offseason this summer, but early on in free agency, they brought back forwards Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. The Warriors needed stability in the frontcourt this season, and they kept both veteran bigs who helped them get to the Play-In Tournament this past season. 

Next season, the Warriors will start the season without Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, so the front office made it a priority to keep stability at the forward spots. Golden State also signed Draymond Green to a one-year deal and drafted Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick in the draft. 

The returning player who will have the biggest impact on the Warriors in 2026 may be Kristaps Porzingis. Last season, Porzingis was traded to the Warriors from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga. 

He averaged 16.7 points per game last season to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Porzingis is known to be one of the best shooting big men in the NBA, and he shoots a career 36.4 percent from long range. 

Porzingis' shot-blocking ability is also one of the traits that makes the Warriors front office want to keep him around. Last season, he recorded 1.2 blocks per game. 

A Warriors front office executive spoke to Keith Smith of Spotrac about what it means to have Kristaps Porzingis back for next season, and he believes we could see a jump in production now that he's had a full offseason with Golden State. 

"We really need Kristaps’ scoring. Having him through camp and then for a full year, he’ll have a much bigger impact for us,” the Warriors executive said. 

Most of the Warriors' scoring comes from the backcourt and wings. The obvious leader of the offense is Stephen Curry, but players like Brandin Podziemski and Jimmy Butler are also pieces the team relies on to contribute significantly to the offense. 

In terms of the frontcourt, there aren't many pieces on this team outside of Porzingis that the Warriors can rely on to give them good offensive production. Charles Bassey was the only other big man who averaged double figures for Golden State last season, but there is not much offensive depth in that area. 

In past years, Kristaps Porzingis has been known to be a player who can be elite on both ends, but injuries and durability have been issues for him. If Porzingis stays healthy in 2026-2027, the Warriors could have a more well-rounded lineup.